Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Someone Torched A Life-Size Statue Of Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan's been dead since 2004, but someone still really doesn't like the former Commander in Chief: Someone set a life-size bronze statue of the Gipper on fire last week.
The statue, which is only a year old, sits in the Ronald Reagan Sports Park in Temecula, which was created after a non-profit raised $100,000 to honor the late president and former actor. It depicts a laughing Reagan with a shovel in one hand and a cowboy hat in the other.
The fire didn't do much damage to the bronze figure, but it did melt the layers of paint it once sported. The blackened statue seemed to have been cleaned up by the time CBS news crews arrived on the scene.
Tiles on the wall behind the statue, which features a quote from Regan about Temecula, were also damaged. In 1983, Reagan praised the city for raising the money to develop the park without help from taxpayers.
Support for LAist comes from
Perry Peters, who helps run the non-profit Friends of Ronald Reagan Sports Park, told CBS 2, "The people, the volunteers who built the park here without government funds, were insulted by this. This was a monument to them, as well as to President Reagan, who complimented them for using the can-do spirit."
There are no security cameras in the park, so whoever did this may remain a mystery.
The park is trying to raise money to restore the statue. You can donate on their site, which bears the message, "We will complete and restore the monument. As Reagan said, 'After all, we are Americans!'"
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake. -
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
Best of LAist